Drip tray



Patented June 13, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT O F F [CE I 2,511,1sa

DRIP TRAY William W. Woodward, Baltimore, Ohio, assignor' to TheFail-field Paper and: Eontainer Company, Baltimore, Ohio,alcorporationof Ohio Application- August 23, 1949, Serial No. 111-;941

5' Claims. 1

My invention relates toa drip tray. It has to do, more particularly,with a shallow tray made from paperboard or corrugated board which isparticularly suitable: tor use under a car in agarage so that any oildripping therefrom will be: received. and retained by the tray.

As is well known, a small amoimt of oil will drip from the crank case ofa car and if some meansv is not provided; for collecting it, willproduce an unsightly pool on. the floor which will also be a safetyhazard. It has been common to provide metal trays for collecting the oildrip. I-lowever;v these trays are quite expensive andv they becomeunsightly and must be cleaned from time to time.

It is' the object of my invention to provide a drip tray formed ofpaperboard, corrugated board or similar board, which will effectivelycollect the oil drip but which is inexpensive and can, therefore, bediscarded whenever it be comes unsightly o-r saturated with oil.

Still another object of my invention isto proride a drip-tray ofpaperboard which is norm-ally in knock-downer flat condition so thatshipping thereof in large groups is facilitated.

A further'oblject of my invention is toprovide a tray formed ofpaperboard or the like which can be set upeasily without the use orstaples or similar fastening devices.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a tray of the typeindicated which is provided with members whichlock the end. walls andside walls; in upright position when the tray is. set up. such membersbeing also formed of the same material as the body of the tray.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tray wherein thelocking members also serve to reinforce the tray to provide a relativelyrigid structure.

Still another object of my invention is to provide locking members ofthe type indicated above which not only serve the locking function butwhich are so shaped and arranged when the tray is set up that suchmembers can bear advertising dataor other indicia.

Another object of my invention is to provide locking members which arein flat condition be fore the tray is set up and can, therefore, havethe advertising data printed thereon by usual simple printing processes.

Various other objects will be apparent.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing wherein similar characters of reference designatecorresponding parts and wherein:

Figure. l is a perspective view of a tray made according. to myinvention showing it after it has been set up.

Figure 2 is a detail in perspective illustrating a corner of "the trayas the adjacent side wall and endwall are being brought together.

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating how a locking member is usedtolock the side wall and: end wall together.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the main blank used in form ng the body ofthe tray.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a blank of the type usedin forming the endlocking members.

With reference to the drawing; in Figure 4, I have illustrated a blank6: which is scored and slit the" proper manner to form the body to(Figure: 11) of the tray; blank isa. flat sheet of paperboard or thelike of rectangular form. The blank is provided with the side scorelines t, the end score: lines 8', and with slots 9 at each of each scoreline 8 and in alignment therewith. Slots 9 extend inwardly toscorelines 1. This slotting and scoring produces the side walls l9 and theend walls H. In each end of each end wall H, a slot It is provided inalignment with the score line k. The slots l2 donot extend the fulldepth of the end-walls: H. An additiona1 slot I3 is provided in each endoi eachend wall ft, the slot. 13 being: of the same depth as slot I22:and being parallel therewith. Another slot 5:4, identical with sl'ot I3,is formed in each end of each side wall l0 and is spaced from: theadjacent slot 9 being parallel therewith. The slot is: is spaced fromthe end: of the side wall ts.- or slots a distance equal to thedistancebetween 11118 slot t3 and the adjacent end of the end wall H".When blank 6 folded along score lines I: and It, the walls hi and itwill be upstanding? from the flat bottom.

For cooperating with the blank ofFi-gure 4, I provide a pair of endlocking members Ifia.

these members is formed from a blank 45- of the: type shown in Figure:5-. This blank comprises a fiat elongated rectangular sheet ofpaperboard or the like. which. is provided with a pair of score lines t6running the entire length thereof being parallel with each other andbeing spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing of the slots l2 and I3 of blank 6. At the ends Ofi the blank I5, the opposed slots I1 and I8are formed in the side edges and are extended inwardly towards eachother. These slots are of the same depth as the slots [2, I3 and M ofthe main blank 6 and are adapted to cooperate therewith, as will laterappear. The slots I1 and I8 are in alignment with each other and arespaced from the end of the blank I5 being parallel therewith. Thedistance between the two slots l1 and the two slots I8 corresponds tothe distance between score lines 1 of blank 6 or in other words, thedistance between side walls [0. When the blank is folded along the scorelines IE, it will include the top wall l9 and the depending verticalwalls 20.

To set up the tray, the blank 6 is folded alon the score lines I and 8to produce the upstanding side walls It and end walls I I. Each end ofeach end wall II is bent along the slot I2 to form an inwardly extendinglocking tab 2!, as shown in Figure 2. The tab 2| is slipped inside theside wall 19 and the slot 13 therein will align with the slot 14 in theside wall when the side wall and end wall are brought into completevertical position. To look the side and end walls in vertical position,the locking member I 5a, is positioned thereon. The blank I5 is foldedalong the score lines I6, as previously indicated. The member Isa ispositioned just inside end wall ll and then each end of the lockingmember is slipped into position over the adjacent side wall iii and thetab 2| which are in face contact, as shown in Figure 3. The innervertical wall 29 of the locking member Ilia will slip down into thealigning slots l3 and Id and the locking slot ll will interlock with theuncut portions of tab 2| and wall 19 at the lower end of slots l3 and M,while the aligning slots 13 and I4 will interlock with the uncut upperportion of wall 29 at the upper end of slot ll. Similarly, the outerWall 29 of the locking member i511 will slip down into the slot l2 withsuch slot interlocking with the uncut joint between tab 2| and wall I Iat the bottom of slot 12, while the slot l2 will interlock with theupper uncut portion of wall at the upper end of slot is. Thus, aninterlocking structure is provided which joins the end walls and sidewalls together. The members l5a, not only serve as looking members butalso as reinforcing members to give rigidity to the ends of the tray. Itwill be noted that the ends of members 15a project slightly beyond theside walls 10.

The blank l5 may be printed with any suitable advertising or otherindicia while it is in flat condition. For example, such indicia may beon the inside vertical wall 29, as illustrated in Figure 1, and may beof luminous ink so as to show up at night when a cars lights are cast onit.

The drip tray of this invention is extremely simple and inexpensive.Because of its low cost, it can be discarded whenever it becomes soakedwith oil or unsightly. It may be disposed of by burning. Shipping of thetray in large numbers is facilitated because it is originally inknockdown condition. However, it can be set up with ease.

Although I have described this tray as being useful as a drip tray, itshould be understood that it could be used for other purposes. Forexample, it could be placed on the seat of a car -when a mechanic isworking thereon so that 4 he can put greasy tools or rags thereon. Otheruses are possible.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: r

1. A drip tray or the like formed from paperboard or similar materialcomprising a flat bottom having upstanding peripheral walls disposed inangular relationship, adjacent walls being provided with overlappingportions at their corners, and a separate locking member extending alongone of the adjacent walls, said locking member having a portion at eachend which interlocks with the overlapping corner portions of twoadjacent walls to connect them together and hold them in upstandingposition.

2. A drip tray or the like formed from paperboard or similar materialcomprising a flat bottom having upstanding peripheral walls, and lockingmember extending along two opposed walls of the tray, said lockingmembers being formed of paperboard or similar material and each havingan upper wall and depending walls, the adjacent peripheral walls at eachcorner of the tray including a tab on one wall Which overlaps the otherwall, said tab and peripheral wall and the depending walls of thelocking member having interlocking slots formed therein.

3. A drip tray or the like formed from paperboard or similar materialcomprising a flat bottom having upstanding side and end walls, andlocking members formed from paperboard or similar material disposed atthe ends of the tray and extending transversely thereof along the endWalls of the tray, said locking members having portions at their endswhich interlock with the side and end walls to connect them together andhold them in upstanding position.

4. A tray according to claim 3 wherein the end walls have locking tabsthereon which overlap the side walls, said locking members having anupper wall and a pair of depending parallel walls, said tabs andadjacent side walls having slots formed therein which interlock withslots formed in the depending walls of said locking members.

5. A tray according to claim 4 wherein the locking tabs and adjacentside walls each have a pair of upwardly opening slots aligning with eachother, said slots being spaced apart a distance equal to the width ofthe top wall of the locking member, and wherein the ends of the lockingmembers have downwardly opening slots in the side walls thereof whichinterlock with the slots in said tabs and side walls.

WILLIAM W. WOODVVARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,329,577 Boyd Feb. 3, 19201,559,240 Fox Oct. 27, 1925 1,997,909 Luce Apr. 16, 1935 1,999,361 Jameset al Apr. 30, 1935

